Our Community Blogs share stories from across our work with equity-deserving communities, highlighting AHC programs, partnerships, and community-led initiatives in action. Through reflections, updates, and success stories, we showcase how culturally responsive programming and inclusive service delivery support individuals and groups to strengthen wellbeing and build capacity.
Alongside program insights, you’ll find community success stories and testimonials that reflect the impact of collaboration, participation, and grassroots leadership. Together, these blogs offer a practical and people-first look at how communities are advancing their own wellbeing and prosperity, with AHC walking alongside them as a partner.
Offering IT services and software solutions for businesses, Jiken Madhu, and his team at Rollout Technologies, offer technological solutions to ensure that businesses have the tools they need to operate in this fast-paced world.
Whether it's installing security cameras, website development, cloud-based solutions or mobile application design or so much more, they have the knowledge and the tools you need.
A graduate of our Spring 2019 cohort, Jiken says that taking part in the Entrepreneurship Support Program enabled him to learn how business operates in Canada, as well as gave him the help he needed in sales, marketing, and tax preparation. Today, despite COVID, Jikhen says they are serving more customers than ever before and have significantly increased their customer base, thanks to the support they received from Action for Healthy Communities.
To learn more about this exciting new company visit them at: https://rollouttechnologies.ca/
Meet Nohora Muñoz, member of a family business led by women that started over 10 years ago in a small town in Colombia. On 2016, her husband accepted a job offer in Edmonton which led her and her kids to follow path. Being a member of such an incredible and unique jewelry business such as Monarca, she had to take advantage of the opportunity to introduce it to Edmonton. However due to her lack of experience in business, she decided to participate in Action for Heathy Communities' entrepreneurship support program (ESP) to gain those necessary skills to succeed and have a profitable business in this new market.
Starting the ESP in spring 2021, she was able to learn how to register her business in Alberta, gained valuable connections and business skills and is now frequently participating in local farmer markets around the city where people have been more than welcoming to the originality of their creations.
To get more information on where she'll be next visit the Monarca website at monarcashop.ca.
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Pamela Funk has always been drawn to the practise of massage, and after attending Makami College became a registered massage therapist in 2014. As an RMT Funk gained experience, working with different massage clinics around Edmonton. But in 2017 was inspired to start her own massage business, Elevation Massage Therapy. By 2018, Elevation Massage Therapy had become her full time business.
Funk migrated from Paraguay, having received her Canadian citizenship through her parents and despite not being fluent in english, Funk learnt the language quickly through her work.
“I want to take care of people’s wellbeing and make sure they feel their best and valued,” says Funk. “I didn’t feel valued at the clinics I worked at, so that is why I chose to open my business.”
Working from home wasn’t easy, but Funk advertised deals on Kijiji and Facebook to boost her business.
“I started with a lower price and offered direct billing to insure companies,” she says. She adds the main reason for this was so that her clients could get to know her and how she works. Through this method, Funk now has a loyal, growing clientele.
But Funk says she had overlooked a few aspects that are involved when starting a business.
“First of all, I incorporated right away and without understanding the difference between sole proprietor and incorporation,” she says, adding, “I got overwhelmed with all the research I did on my own on how to run a business — I had no idea what I was doing.”
In 2018, Funk attended the Small Business Development training program, offered by Action for Healthy Communities (AHC). Through the program, Funk learnt how to correct the mistakes she had made and grow her business.
“I’m kind of a perfectionist, so I was really hard on myself and gave up too easily.”
While attending the business courses offered at Action for Healthy Communities (AHC), Funk was coached by Kevin McDonald. She says that her mentor helped Funk with networking, budget management and marketing strategies.
Since starting up, Funk’s business has steadily increased. Currently, Funk is working at Lakewood Physiotherapy clinic located in the southside, and continues to take clients for her mobile business as well.
By Ishita Verma
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Diane Umutoni is the face of Ms. Home Staging and Design. She’s a French speaker who first came to Quebec, Canada as a student completing her master in Economics at the university of Sherbrooke, to then find her way to Edmonton to become the owner of her own staging and design company where she offers services to both homeowners who are looking to sell their home and want to make their house look as appealing as possible to buyers, and to new homeowners who are in need of someone with knowledge to help them create a space that feels like home.
Diane participated in the entrepreneurship support program and completed level I and level ll of our training. During the program, she learned how to create a business plan and how to charge for her services, as well as what type of business she should implement and who her customers should be.
Design had always been a passion and a natural talent of hers which she was scared to pursue because she had no previous education on it. However, throughout our program she learned that experience mattered, and after helping her friends and family design their own homes, she had acquired enough of it to begin her entrepreneurship journey in this field.
Despite the challenges, and knowing she was entering an industry that is still relatively new yet very competitive and where it would require a lot of effort from her to persuade her potential customers that she could be trusted, as a new entrant, she never gave up. And now, after completion of the ESP program, she gained the confidence she was lacking, gained direction in life and was able to register her own business with all the paperwork that is required.
After now one year of her business being registered, she just finished designing her own website where her portfolio and information is more easily accessible to anyone interested in acquiring her services.
To know more about Diane’s work visit her website mshomestaging.com.
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On Friday, March 4, 2022, AHC rural Small Centre's, Paola Shanks together with Sherry Depner from the Lakeland Catholic Schools, supported more than 30 young newcomers from several different communities being able to try out curling!
This event was quite successful, and the largest single-day community connections event to date for the rural Small Centres. The event also strengthened the program's relationship with the school division!
Learn more about our Rural Small Centres program here.
On Sunday March 27 2022, Action for Healthy Communities was honored to enter into a partnership with Penny Appeal Canada that saw the latter, in collaboration with the Muslim Association of St. Albert (MASA), provide Ramadan food hampers of essential edibles to needy and deserving low income families, at the heels of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The clients were assessed by AHC for eligibility and 64 families identified by AHC benefited from the Campaign. Over 90% of the serviced clientele were Afghan Newcomers who will be observing their first month of fasting in a new land.
The generosity of the Muslim Association of St. Albert (MASA) and Penny Appeal Canada, who each contributed 50% towards the costs associated with putting together and distributing the food hampers was well received with much gratitude and ample prayers.
Samiullah, the patriarch of a family of 9, states that the contents of the hamper were not only delivered with dignity, but with a relief of a lower grocery bill as the family observes its first Ramadan in a new land and amid national inflation.
A widowed single mother of a toddler, R.Z, was overwhelmed as she received the respectfully packaged contents of multiple balanced meals, consisting of meat, dairy, grains, cereals, and protein alternatives. Amid tears, she prayed for ease for those who had brought her comfort and nutrition she would otherwise not have had the means to purchase.
AHC is proud of its partnership with Penny Appeal Canada for individuals and families’ assessment and recruitment process. AHC looks forward to continuing this collaboration in the future. AHC also wishes to thank the volunteers retained by Penny Appeal Canada who personally delivered the hampers to the clients whose residences sprawled the entirety of Edmonton.
https://www.facebook.com/StAlbertmosque
Anane Dabala is a member of AHC’s employment team and the designated training liaison between AHC and CLAC Training. In her role, she has seen the impact certifications, often referred to as safety tickets, have had on clients' the employment team serves. Access to this training at AHC is made possible via a generous grant from the CLAC Foundation. Anane facilitates client registration in the safety ticket training opportunities provided by CLAC in courses like WHMIS, Food Safety training, Common Safety Orientation (CSO) and more. Before the employment team began its relationship with the CLAC Foundation, employers would ask for these tickets, and if clients did not have them, the hiring process was impacted. Still, now clients can access certificate training as a part of the employment counselling process, increasing their chances of landing a job. Clients with resumes that include relevant safety tickets can more easily apply for the jobs they want.
Because these safety tickets require client commitment, before contacting CLAC, Anane ensures that each client knows what specific safety ticket they want and has a clear goal fueling their interest in the ticket. By clarifying their needs, clients communicate to us that they are serious about the training process.
Once they’ve completed their training, Anane follows up with clients in their job hunt. Since the beginning of 2022, Anane has connected 36 clients with CLAC training, 17 have successfully obtained employment, and the others confidently pursue their employment-related goals. Lately, Anane has observed a trend where clients are looking to get safety tickets to secure camp jobs in Northern Alberta. These camp jobs, often in housekeeping, kitchen work and general labour, provide good benefits and pay and enable clients to improve their quality of life, support their families in Canada and their home countries, and even save money for the future.
With the support of the CLAC Foundation, Anane is helping more clients than ever and has significantly expanded her network. The quality and effectiveness of CLAC training have created word-of-mouth referrals to Anane from as far away as Victoria, B.C., though she can only support Alberta-based clients. Anane appreciates the CLAC Foundation’s support and says that the training they provide is integral to helping employment team clients secure jobs and support their families.
On October 14, 2022, AHC held its annual Diversity Health Fair workshop, emphasizing mental health, presented to the Mill Woods Seniors Association Centre. University of Alberta nursing students facilitated the session for the seniors. Participants engaged in dialogue while learning about how to promote positive mental health; healthy snacks followed the workshop.
AHC's Community Development Department hosts its first Seed Grant Ceremony
Here at AHC, we aspire to make stronger, healthier communities and a part of doing that is by providing ambitious community initiatives with resources to grow.
Earlier this June, our Community Development department hosted AHC’s first ever Seed Grant Ceremony after completing their largest grant cycle yet. The ceremony allowed us to celebrate nine community groups who were approved for $2000 seed grants from the Community Development Advocacy Committee (CDAC) after months of support from our Inclusive Communities Program.
Representatives from all nine groups attended to accept the grants which will support their unique community projects and had the opportunity to bond over their collective interest in community well-being and share what drove them to start their initiative. Many heartwarming stories were shared about the importance of connection, social supports, education, and keeping cultural customs and traditions alive. You could feel the passion and care in the room and everyone who attended was clearly inspired and invigorated by each other's projects.
There were also many references to the gratitude each group felt for the Inclusive Communities Program and the support they received from our hardworking Community Animators. We are so appreciative to have been able to support these groups in preparing their grants and building their initiatives and we look forward to continuing to help them as they grow.
Our sincere congratulations to Eritrean Muslim community Association, Kyrgyz Association in Canada, Mental Health Awareness, Mindful Minds, Sierra Leone Association of Alberta, Burundi Community Association of Canada, Bashi Community association of Canada, Congo Canadian Youth Association, and World Cooking for their hard work and accomplishments. We know they will do great things for their communities.
If you have a passion for community development or making a positive impact and want your own chance to access capacity-building supports, click here for more information.
View photos of the event below:
K-Days 2023 brought so many special opportunities to AHC and its clients!
AHC’s Entrepreneurship Supports Program collaborated with Explore Edmonton to showcase over 30 newcomer-owned small businesses which have been supported by the program in the past at the K-Days Pop-Up Marketplace. From July 21st to 23rd every passionate entrepreneur was able to represent their culture through the handcrafted goods and services. All weekend we were reminded that empowering newcomer entrepreneurs is not just about fostering economic growth, but also about embracing diversity, innovation, and fresh perspectives in the business landscape.
In addition to this, Explore Edmonton kindly donated 40 K-Days tickets to AHC’s newcomer clients so families from across the world could have a day of fun, games, rides, and entertainment all while learning more about Albertan culture. Thank you so much to K-Days and Explore Edmonton for extending these opportunities to AHC and its people. We are all about breaking down barriers and ensuring a healthier community for all and we couldn’t do it without collaborations like this. Scroll down our photos to see some of the many special moments that were captured!
If you are a small business owner and are interested in more information about the Entrepreneurship Support Program, please click here.
If you are a newcomer interested in learning more about the variety of services and supports we provide, please click here.
This past November, AHC's Community Capacity Building Program hosted their 2nd Annual Community Experience Sharing Forum - Building Inclusive Communities: A Common Vision
With a focus on fostering a strong sense of community and celebrating the power of collaboration, the day saw community members and leaders with diverse backgrounds come together, share their varied experiences, and collaborate on ideas grounded in intimate knowledge of community interests and barriers.
Some of the highlights of the day included a showcase of grassroots groups making a difference in the Edmonton area, a lively panel discussion, led by Dr. Abu Conteh, on community development practices and systemic work that is necessary to remove barriers faced by too many citizens and initiative leaders, and engaging speeches on the importance of community and inclusivity from Edmonton Mayor, Amarjeet Sohi and Dr. Lucenia Ortiz among others.
Among other things those who attended also got to watch entertaining multicultural dance and music (often performed by some of the presenting grassroots groups), learn about the research-backed impacts made by AHC's Community Capacity Building Program, and honour the Capacity Building Team for the passion and dedication they show to all groups they support.
Thank you for all those who came out and shared your essential knowledge with others - community development would not be worthwhile without the community members at the centre.
Action for Healthy Communities (AHC) capped off another successful year with our 29th Annual General Meeting and Open House on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in our Edmonton downtown office and AHC Event Centre. Our Open House gave onlookers a comprehensive and informative look at our programs, supports, and teams. For AHC members, the AGM was an opportunity to vote on key issues that impact the future of our organization.
We also unveiled our 2023-2024 annual report, giving our members a glimpse of how we served and engaged our participants and the communities. During the 2023-2024 fiscal year, we are proud to have accomplished the following:
Our 2023-2024 annual report can be accessed through our Publication and Resource page.
During our AGM, we also welcomed three new members - Charles OlumuyiwaMoyela, Mohamed Negm, and Navneet Sekhon - to our AHC Board.
OlumuyiwaMoyela is a former business reporter, writer, and cross-functional team leader with a track record of leading communications and external relations teams in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East over the last 15 years. OlumuyiwaMoyela has a passion for youth education, leadership training, community, and entrepreneurship development, and brings his wealth of strategic communications experience, intercultural and non-profit sector knowledge, and perspectives to the AHC Board.
Also new to the board is Mohamed Negm. He is the President of Negmax Industrial Innovations, a leading company in robotics automation and industrial innovations. With over 15 years of experience, Mohamed has established himself as a serial entrepreneur, founding and successfully running several hardware automation companies. His extensive expertise in entrepreneurship and engineering has been instrumental in driving innovation and efficiency in the industrial sector.
Finally, AHC welcomes Navneet Sekhon to the board. She is a strategic, innovative, results-driven chartered human resource professional with extensive employee relations experience in a full range of functions, as well as success in simultaneously managing multiple projects. Navneet brings to AHC a wealth of knowledge in human resources and employee relations and is a certified Chartered Professional for Human Resources, SHRM Certified Professional, and a Registered Professional Recruiter.
We look forward to having our new board of directors join AHC. We are thankful for our ongoing relationships and continued support from our funders, partners, members, and stakeholders. Together we can continue to create stronger, healthier communities.
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